Communications and outreach plan to improve program utilization.

1. a strategic plan for mission delivery

2.  The purpose of the plan is to increase utilization and better integrate
the following programs and services of The Society – Look
Good…Feel Better, Road to Recovery and Reach to Recovery.
 This will allow us to:
• Have a more proactive and strategic position and act less responsively to
environments that we cannot control (i.e. high turnover, previous
relationships with staff, etc.).
• Provide our resources effectively
• Focus on highlighting shared opportunities within the 19 different
counties in Area One.

3.  Target  Audience
Who can give us what Who can influence the
we want? decision makers?
Who do we need on our
side to get what we • Patients
want? • Caregivers
• Peers
• Cancer Center Directors
and head of nursing
departments
• Patient navigators
• Affiliated oncologists

4. Numerous studies show a link between income
and health. In general, the higher the income
the healthier a person is likely to be.

6.  The minority (non-white) population in Cobb has grown by 26.0% over the past 5 years.
 Blacks made up 23.3% of the Cobb population in 2008.
 In 2008, Hispanics comprised 11.7% of Cobb’s population, compared to 7.7% in Georgia and
15.1% in the U.S.
 The Hispanic population in Cobb grew 33.8% from 2003-2008.
 The male to female population in Cobb County is almost equal, with slightly more females
(50.4%) compared to males (49.6%).
 The median age in Cobb County is 36.3; males - 35.0 and females - 37.5.
 The 40 - 49 year old age group makes up the largest percentage of all
age groups in Cobb County, representing 16.6% of the population.
 Over 1/4th of the population in Cobb County (28.6%) is under the age of 19.

7.  The strategy is based on nurturing a high profile and The Society’s name
recognition within our communities through program development, public
speaking, networking and promotional events.
 These tools will be followed up with a communications strategy that relies on
local media promotion, but also online community building. We will work
with a local public relations firm, that will offer expertise through a pro bono
partnership, to help guide our communications infrastructure and web
marketing strategy through:
• Developing a voice for our Facebook pages and creating the best mix of content
• How to compete for attention and take full advantage of emerging opportunities in social media
• Community relations and outreach
 Milestones in the form of monthly benchmark reports will help to keep the
business plan priorities in place. This information is routinely provided by Pam
Ashman.

8.  Marketing Materials:
• For all three key signature programs, brochures, posters, and
DVDs will be made available to patients that visit our office. We
will also provide information to the most relevant areas of patient
services with our healthcare partners.
 Networking/Promotional Events:
• We will have to make contact with those groups that are having
the cancer conversation.
 Increase Accessibility

9. What are our challenges?
What has worked?
 What are our challenges?
• Lack of referrals to the program and usability of the program by cancer patients in the
area
• Very little marketing of the program
• Grasping an understanding of the oncology infrastructure of our healthcare partners
 What worked?
• In-service presentations to staff at hospitals and health system affiliates (i.e. 5
North, NGOC), in smaller communities (Pickens County, for example) press releases
and front-page articles in local newspaper
 What is the goal or vision?
• Increase awareness and patient utilization
• Set up programs to meet the needs of patients

10. What are our challenges?
What has worked?
 What are our challenges?
• Lack of utilization of Reach volunteers
• Among lowest average of referrals from healthcare partners, leading to loss of patient
acquisition
• No long-standing visibility in the local community
• Currently, patients do not stay in the hospital unless they have mastectomy and
reconstruction
 What worked?
• Extensive volunteer recruitment
• In-service presentations given to healthcare partners with committed volunteers
 What is the goal or vision?
• Focus n breaking down barriers to patient referral

11. What are our challenges?
What has worked?
 What are our challenges?
• Among lowest average of referrals from healthcare partners, leading to loss of patient acquisition
• Need for continuous recruitment of volunteers - one patient counts for a ride, regardless of number
of trips given by volunteers
• Recruiting a coordinator for Road programs with 20 volunteers or more
 What worked?
• Extensive volunteer recruitment through featured pieces in the Marietta Daily Journal, Douglas
County Sentinel, etc.
• Holding volunteer trainings in-house to better expedite the recruitment/placement process
• Volunteers have demonstrated a preference for emails to receive requests for rides. Some receive
information via iPad or Blackberry. Melissa Garcia has worked with this system with great success
 What is the goal or vision?
• Continue to focus on volunteer recruitment
• Focus primarily on breaking down barriers to patient referral

12. Look Good…Feel Better
 Develop a LGFB Community Ambassador Program
 Comprised of survivors that have gone through the
LGFB sessions .
(Information will be gathered from BOb reports)
• Each county area can have a set of ambassadors and a coordinator that will help
identify places for the ambassadors to present.
• LGFB Community Ambassadors will not just talk about the class, but what they
experienced and how it helped them (share their story).
• This will help build trust and differentiate ourselves from our competition (i.e.
Chemoflage and Pink Heals). The Community Ambassador program will also help
us become a part of the community and not just target a community.

13.  Make sure programs are established and ‘up and running’ in  Ongoing….
the county… • Intern to work with a selected volunteer to coordinate
• Where? Vinings, East Cobb, Douglas (Deer Lick Park) schedule of events
• Make sure cosmetologists are trained (Oct. 3rd) • Intern will also help track progress of program and
• Make sure location agreement is signed identify milestones through monthly reports
• Make sure dates and details are loaded on to CRC
 Build, build, build the volunteer structure
• Have intern (Amanda) find support groups/choirs/book
clubs/PTAs/Mom groups in our Metro Area – who is
having the cancer conversation?
• Contact to determine if they will allow ambassadors to
attend/speak at their meetings.
• Recruit Ambassadors living in the 5-county area
(Cobb, Cherokee, Douglas, Paulding, Pickens).
• Retrieve list of LGFB participants over a 3-year period.
• Email description of roles to participants.
 Networker – presenting to support groups or
attending health fairs / conferences
 Social Media Maverick – promote through selected
blogs, weekly postings on FB (need at least two
postings a week; preferably Thurs/Fri; early morning
or late afternoon)*
 *These roles can not only include LGFB, but also be
used to talk about Reach, as well.

14.  Goal is to increase visibility of Reach (both the
program and volunteers) in the community
• October – host Reach Roundtable at ACS
office to discuss taking on a more active
role in the hospital setting.
 Discuss Reach utilization rate (lack of) in our county
area
 Determine willingness to attend support group
meeting and individual availability.
 Reach volunteers will attend the meetings and use
this as an opportunity to offer follow-up discussions
with patients after the meetings. They will have
Reach kit materials and the sign-in forms on
hand, which they can send in to the call center.
• Already have approval from Lori Hall
(navigator) to have a Reach volunteer
present at every support group meeting.
• Meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of
every month from 6pm – 7pm at
Kennestone in the Camelia Room.
• Provide Lori with list of Reach volunteers so
that she knows who will be in attendance.

15.  How can we get the best use out of a QR Code? What do we
want it to do?  Doug Satterfield (WellStar Radiation Oncology)
• Drive constituents to our 1-800 number, or our ‘backdoor’  NGOC (Kennestone location)
number. Why?  Michael Rodriguez (GCS, Paulding location)
 Increase accessibility to patient programs  Falany & Hulse Women’s Center (Cherokee Cty Relay Survivor Sponsor)
(Reach, Road, LGFB), financial transportation service
offered through Division, and oncology social worker
program.  Why those areas, specifically, instead of using the code en
masse?
• Drive constituents to the LGFB FB site, or ‘like’ the LGFB • Use BOb reports to track referral source for a 2-month
site. Why? period to determine any growth.
 Once at the site, they can get information on • Can use mailchimp.com to track usage of codes
upcoming sessions and be prompted to register by
calling the 1-800 number.
• Create codes through qrstuff.com
• Obtain quote from FastSigns of the cost of a sign to place
at front desk.
• Signage to specify most requested services: Road to
Recovery, Dietician on Call.
• Nov – Dec, use the following locations as a pilot. Meet
with contacts to get approval to post QR code at the front
desk, in the back waiting room areas, or in the education
rooms:
•

16. Look Good…Feel Better
 LGFB Community Ambassadors will target those groups that are
having the cancer conversation and comprise the 40 - 49 year old
age group makes up the largest percentage of all age groups in
Cobb County.
 Local support groups (particularly breast)
 Local choirs
 Book Clubs
 Local PTAs
 Hiking, jogging and walking groups
 Mom groups/Mom blog networks

17. Look Good…Feel Better
 Make it easy for customers/patients to engage with
our business
• Create a QR code for LGFB so patients can easily access
the LGFB web site and/or the ACS 1-800 number where
they have access to session dates , locations, makeup tips,
etc.
• To help send it out to the ‘real world’ QR Code can be
printed out and added to our brochures and marketing
materials, emailed to all Relay participants asking them to
take action and send the code to a survivor, partnerships
with local LGFB corporate supporters, etc.

18. Look Good…Feel Better
 Where is the cancer conversation held in the Hispanic/Latino community?
• Use relationships with Cobb & Douglas Public Health to host a Luzca Bien…Siéntase Mejor
program at the health departments for women they identify are fighting the disease.
 Establish a LGFB session in both East and West Cobb, capturing patients
and prevent losing them to other county areas.
 Use LGFB volunteers that have been trained, but not assigned, a session
location to work with: Advanced Breast Care of GA, Georgia Breast Care
and the Breast Center of Georgia. These sites may not have space on-
site, but we can offer scheduled one-on-one sessions with their patients.
 LGFB Buzz Parties – Use certified LGFB volunteers to host sessions at local
support groups. Survivors know survivors. Call to action by encouraging
each participant to sign another survivor up for a session.

19. Reach to Recovery
 Work with Lori Hall, Breast Nurse Navigator to expand
outreach:
• Establish a Reach to Recovery support group on-site at WellStar
Kennestone Hospital and other healthcare sites.
• Develop program where trained Reach to Recovery volunteers
visit patients during pre-admission testing before surgery.
 Visits will consist of:
 Showing women the exercises that will help in the healing process.
 Volunteers can also bring a small pillow for propping up the arm and
informational brochures.
 Most importantly, they will offer a follow-up call to the patient.

20. According to Sparxoo, Boomers are jumping on the smartphone bandwagon to help with business and
health. For instance, the Epocrates app is a resource for drugs information, including doses, adverse
reactions, pricing, and pill images alongside robust medical calculators

21. Create a QR code for Road to Recovery so patients can easily access
the Division Service Center line (888-227-6333) where they have
access to Cancer Information Specialists for the Road program.
The QR code can be used at the
Cancer Resource Centers,
Radiation Oncology front desks,
Volunteer business cards,
etc.